The Bridge
by savvyshipper
Summary: Alternative Bridge episode/istory. What if Simmons was taken instead of Coulson? Why have they taken her? And what is Centipede's plan for her? Rated K for violence, and maybe some romance in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Mike can almost hear her smiling though the cellphone. "So, now that you understand the situation, I'd like you to tell me a few things. A great starting point would be, say, how did they cure you?" She purrs, but he can hear the underlying curiosity. Good, a question he can answer truthfully. "I don't know" He says curtly, trying to listen for any signs of his son. "Oh" Raina says, sounding disappointed. "But do you at least know your savior's name, know the one who cured you?" She asks sweetly. Simmons smiling face flashes through his mind, and he already feels the guilt digging at him. But the last person on Earth that he loves, his only child, hangs in the balance. "A scientist" He says, trying to avoid the inevitable. "Do you at least have the name? Or do I need to remind you who's life hangs in the balance here?" She asks her voice sweet, but he knows that the sweetness is only hiding the poison. He moistens his lips nervously, because he knows that he's betraying the people that have been the kindest to him. But when it comes between family and work, family will win out every time.

* * *

Mike walks Jemma out to meet them, his heart and head filled with conflict. Jemma looks up at him smiling nervously, and he has to keep himself from shoving her away, yelling that it's a trap, and he is so, so sorry. She touches his arm. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him until we get you back" She says brightly. How does she have so much faith in his good intentions? He wonders. Raina and the two supersoldier guards appear into view, holding weapons. He can hear Simmons gasp. This is the first time she's seen them up close. He feels himself tense up. They stop in front of them.

"We're here, like you asked" He says hoarsely. Raina studies him carefully, then looks at Simmons. "And who might you be?" She asks. Simmons answers firmly "I'm Simmons. I'm a friend" . I'm a friend. The words reverberate through his head, but he's come too far. Raina nods, digesting this information. Then she snaps her fingers, and his son appears from the car. He flies towards him, yelling "Daddy!" His son hugs him around his waist, and Mike leans down to hug his son. "I kept my promise. Now you keep yours" Raina says smiling. The one of the soldiers grabs Simmons, holding her arms behind her back, and with another arm holding her in a gentle choke hold. Simmons struggles, her brown eyes wide and frightened. "Mike, what's going on?" She questions, her voice trembling. Mike takes one glance at her, and the guilt turns to anger. He grabs Raina, holding her throat. "Let her go" He whispers dangerously into her ear. "Or I'll kill you" He snarls. She smiles "What will your son think? Oh wait, one of my guards has a gun at his head. If he shoots, well, your son won't be doing much thinking, will he?" He curses softly, then lets her go. "C'mon son, lets go" He says, turning away from Raina and Simmons. "That's what I thought" She says. Mike hears a hiss. He turns back to see Jemma, eyes wide, hit with a tranquilizer shot. Her eyes go wide, and her eyes threaten tears. Then she collapses against the soldier holding her captive. No. He can't allow this to happen. He picks up his son, sprinting towards the car with Fitz, May, and Skye.

* * *

Ward watches through the scope of his rifle, waiting for Mike, the woman, and the soldiers to reappear. The woman reappears first, walking towards the car, followed by her soldiers. But no sign of Mike. Where is he? Ward tries to keep himself calm, though he feels a twist of fear in his stomach. Somethings gone wrong. He focuses his aim on one off the soldiers. The soldier turns towards him, exposing his vitals to the gun. A perfect shot, if it wasn't for what was shielding him. Simmons. Simmons is curled up against his chest, her body limp in his arms. He flips the view to heat signals, desperately hoping that that she's alive. As her heat signal shows up on the scope, he breathes out. Thank god she's okay. He flips his comm phone open and dials May. "What's going on" He shouts into the Comm. "What?" May asks sharply. "Ward, what are you talking about?" She sounds cool and sharp, but he can discern a worried undertone in his voice. "Why do they have Simmons?" He asks sharply. He can hear Fitz's sharp intake of breath. "Jemma?" He asks breathlessly. "Yeah, why's she gone?" Ward asks impatiently, but he has the sick feeling in his stomach that this wasn't how it's supposed to go. Skye's voice comes on the line "Mike's here, with his kid. I'm going to check it out" She says, and the car door slams. There's shuffling in the background, then Fitz's voice comes on the line. "Ward, do something! Isn't that your area? Get Jemma!" He yells at Ward, desperation and fear evident in his voice. "They're using Simmons as a body shield. I can't risk hitting her" He says into the phone. Ward still keeps an eye on the scene below. If only he could get down there.

They've vanished into the building just as Mike rushes back into view. A bubble of rage raises in his throat. He did this! He betrayed them, betrayed Simmons! It almost made him sick. Simmons had been the kindest of them to him. Ward recalled with hatred how she had smiled at Mike, and had helped convince everyone else that Mike was good. And he had gone and given her up the that woman and those super soldiers. Who knew what they would do to her. He aimed at Mike. Just as Mike reached the doors of the building, it exploded into a fireball. Ward fell back, his ears ringing from the explosion.

* * *

The helicopter took off, carrying them to the lab. Raina looked at the scientist in his arms contemptuously. He held her closer, trying to keep her from Raina's prying eyes. She rolled her eyes and moved off. He didn't understand why, but he felt strangely protective of her. He looked down at her again. He hadn't ever seen a scientist this pretty. He remember her light British accent, and the way she seemed to trust that man, Mike, was he called? He shook his head. How could anyone be that naive, especially working for the oppressive big brother? But she didn't seem evil. She curled into his chest, her head in the crook of his shoulder. He smiled down at the scientist, the one who was to be his savior.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Savvyshipper here! Here's the next chapter. I'm so happy to have such positive feedback from just the first chapter! I've been doing well, but I might not be able to post as much as I'd want to because of exam week, and my extended family (whom I haven't seen in years) are coming over to stay. So I'll try and post as much as I can, just please be patient. Also, I do take prompts about all different ships/couples and I can try to do as many requests as I can. Also feel free to check out my profile and read some of my other fanfictions:)**

**Please review and favorite/follow me for more stuff,**

**~Savvyshipper**

Jemma woke up in a cold hard cell. Where was she? Okay, Jemma, don't panic, she told herself. She stood up, her gaze sweeping her surroundings. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was-oh. Mikes back turned, racing away from her with his son. She felt her chest clench up. She was betrayed. Simmons wracks her brain why her, out of everyone? And why her? Didn't they want Mike? No. They never did, she realized. She had been their goal all along. But what did they want with her?

The cell door opens, revealing the same woman from the bridge, only flanked by one supersoldier. The one who had caught her. One side of his mouth quirked upwards, giving her a shy smile. So maybe he didn't want to kill her? Well he doesn't but the woman certainly looks like she'd have no qualms about it. Jemma backed away from them slowly, trying to put a reasonable amount of distance between her and them. Though with an extremis-enhanced soldier, she wasn't sure any distance the cell could provide would be safe.

She glared at them both. The woman only smiled at her condescendingly. "Who are you? And why am I here?" She asked, looking from the soldier to the woman. The soldier looked about ready to speak, but the woman held up her hand, silencing him. "Well, I guess introductions are in order. I'm Raina, and this is Ryan. And we already know who you are, Miss Simmons" She said sweetly, staring her down. Jemma tucked away their names into the back of her mind. They were probably aliases, but false names were better than none at all. "Yes, well that's all very nice isn't it? But your missing my main point. Why am I here?" _And not with my team,_ she added silently.

Raina smiled a fake smile, one that Jemma had learned early. It was the "I'm tired of you" and the "You're annoying" look. The smiles that the other girls put on when they wanted her to go away. She shook her head. That was a long time ago. Those girls don't matter anymore. They never did.

"Well Miss Simmons, we were informed that you were the creator of the serum that was administered to Mike, which stabilized his condition. We want you to replicate the serum, and administer it to our soldiers" Raina said coolly. Simmons raised an eyebrow. And if I don't?" She questioned. Raina smirked. "You don't think we already anticipated that?" She laughed cruelly. "Well, you'd be letting these wonderful men die, wouldn't you? And let me assure you, Centipede has ways of making you talk" She smiled, then turned away, leaving the soldier and Jemma alone. Jemma studied the soldier with apprehension.

He smiled shyly, showing perfect straight white teeth. He wasn't going to bite her was he? "Ummm... Hi. I'm Ryan" He said, running his hand through his brown hair."I know. She said" Jemma said curtly, inwardly cringing about how her voice got high and squeaky, the way it always did when she was nervous. What she wouldn't give to be back in the lab with Leo right now. Leo. Her chest squeezed painfully. She didn't get to say good bye. Not to him, or to Ward, or Skye, or May, not even to Coulson. She bit her lip, trying to keep together while the soldier was around.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked suddenly leaning over her. She jumped. When did he get that close? "Sir, I think we should establish some personal boundaries. Namely, you stay over there" She said pointing to the cell door "and I'll stay over here" she motioned downwards towards the floor.

"Are you sure you know what your doing?" Raina asked him as they both watched the monitor. "Of course. I'm letting her get to know the men she will kill if she does not provide the antidote" He said softly smiling at the monitor. Raina turned back to the monitor with renewed interest. She needed to learn as much as she could from him. She needed to, if she wanted to get closer to the Clairvoyant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Savvyshipper here with another chapter! Well happy holidays everyone! I'm finally off for break, which would usually mean that I could write and update more often. But alas, it cannot be. My cousins from Australia are staying for Christmas, which means I probably won't be updating much (If at all) over this holiday season. As always, I'm thankful for you guys, the fans, because you are the ones who keep me writing. So I wish each and every one of you a wonderful holidays.**

**As always, feel free to read and review,**

**~Savvyshipper**

Skye watched worriedly as Fitz busily rearranged the lab for maybe the third time that morning. She felt her heart ache for him. Fitz and Simmons were so close. Everyone called them Fitzsimmons, because they were never apart. It was almost tortuous watching him work. She entered the lab. Fitz turned towards her, his eyes bright and his face beginning to break into a smile, then he stops midway as he realizes who is in the lab, and more importantly, who's not in the lab. Skye could see the hurt and disappointment in his face. She wasn't Jemma."Oh, Hey Skye" Fitz said dejectedly. Skye smiled brightly at him. "Just wanted to see how you were" She said. Fitz looked at her dubiously. "Well, you've seen." He said, obviously indicating that he wanted to be alone. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked. Fitz looked at her, the dark circles under his eyes evident. Then his eyes brightened. "How would you like to help me test my new device?" He asked. Skye hesitated. What exactly did Fitz want to test? "It's not going to hurt" Fitz said quickly, seeing her hesitation. He explained excitedly "If it works properly, we can find Jemma"

* * *

Fitz had tested it over and over again. He had even gotten May to touch down for a few hours in an abandoned airfield in Kansas to help test range and accuracy. He had gotten not only Skye to be a test subject, but he had also roped in Ward, with a bit of persuading. It had to find her. It had to. He walked briskly to Coulson's office, cradling the device in his arms gently. He stopped in front of Coulson's door, shifting it in his arms to avoid dropping it. He knocked. "Coulson, are you in?" He asked, rapping on the door with his fist. "Come in" Coulson answered. Fitz pushed open the door, and gently set the Bloodhound on the desk. He stood back, letting Coulson admire his handiwork. It was the first thing he had made on his own since becoming lab partners. He tried shut down the thought, along with the pain that came with it. Coulson raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" He questioned, his eyes scanning his the device. "It's the Bloodhound. I've been testing it all day, and it works! It really does! I've replicated the way that Bloodhounds smell except magnified the scent sensors by at least a hundred thousand times, and naturally backed it up with DNA identification and capabilities as a fallback system. It's been through it's basic tests, so it can be used in the field, it's perfectly safe. I've already tested it with Skye and Ward, and it works perfectly. Ward even practiced some scent-hiding tricks which in almost all situations, bloodhounds lose the trail. It's still got him in the end though. So if we let it scan around where they took Simmons, there's quite a possibility that it can find her trail, and lead us to not only their base, but to Jemmas exact location. It'll work" He finished, out of breath from all explaining. He didn't usually have to explain it all by himself. No. He had to stop thinking about that. It wasn't going to bring her back. He had to do that by focusing on what he did best: science.

Coulson nodded. "So you're saying all we need to do is bring you and the machine-" "Bloodhound" Fitz interjected. Coulson nodded and then continued " to the site where Simmons was abducted and the Bloodhound will track her to where ever she currently is, and let off a signal when it's found her alerting us to her location". Fitz nodded excitedly. Coulson smiled at him sadly. "I'll run it through HQ, but don't get your hopes up too high. They've practically tied my hands on this while they try and pin down Centipede". Fitz was crestfallen. He had done all this to help find Jemma, and they couldn't even try? His heartbreak must have shown on his face for Coulson tried to comfort him. Coulson sighed "I'll see if I can get clearance. We're still operating as if we were in a hostage situation If it goes through HQ, and if your device gets spotted, we pull out immediately. Because if they catch the device, Simmons will be in even more danger than before. So you better trust your device., or else she's as good as dead".

Fitz gulped. The words "She's as good as dead" echoed through his mind ominously. He shook his head, trying to clear them from his mind. He'd have to make adjustments. Obviously he'd have to compact it down, and stealth covering, firewalls and countless other additions. He started formulating the new designs in his head. Coulson dismissed him, saying that he'd put it through to the Hob. Fitz left the office, walking briskly back to the lab. How to balance, how to balance this out? He staggered as the plane shook. He hit the ground, shielding Bloodhound by landing awkwardly on his side.

The lights flickered in and out wildly. He tried to keep calm as the whole plane tilted. What was going on? "Coulson? May? Skye? Ward? What's going on?" He shouted from the hallway. He cradled the Bloodhound in his arms. What on earth? The lights suddenly flickered back on, and the plane righted itself. He leaned against the wall, trying to keep from becoming too nauseous. Once he felt slightly better, he took off down the hall.

He ran towards the lab, almost hitting Skye and Ward in the corridor. Both of them were staring at the screen in mute horror. Fitz looked at the screen. His mouth fell open, and he stepped back, trying to fight the fear rising in his chest. The system had been hacked. He knew this, because Jemma was staring out at them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! So sorry for keeping you all waiting! If you read my other fanfiction, then you know all the drama/busy schedule I have going on. But if not here's a recap: final exams this week/broken laptop screen/Family visiting (now my grandparents!). So yeah, sorry about all that. No I haven't watched the newest episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. (yes I'm mad about it and yes so no spoilers please!). But yeah, check me out, follow me, and feel free to IM me about anything (ships, prompts,etc).**

**As always, read and review!**

**~Savvy**

Jemma smiled as best she could. "Hey everyone" she said softly, trying to keep as quiet as possible. "They have me in a warehouse, I don't know where. But I know why I'm here now. They want me to recreate the serum that Fitz and I made for Mike. Centipede hasn't figured out the formula which actually isn't all that complicate- Sorry, I'm getting off topic". She smiled apologetically at the microcamera. "Oh and thanks, Skye. I think I've successfully hidden this camera and the signals from Centipede. Oh, and Fitz, I'm alright. They've promised-" She heard someone outside the lab opening the door. "Sorry I have to go" She shut off the camera as the lock clicked open. She turned around. Raina glared at her suspiciously.

Simmons tried to smile at her. Raina kept the glare. "What do you want?" She asked curtly. She winced inwardly That was rude. Very rude, actually. But then again, she had been brought here against her will. So maybe a bit of rudeness was in order. Raina smiled that fake-sweet smile again. "Well you've seen your lab. Is there anything else you need?" She asked, feigning interest. Jemma went through the processes and chemicals and ingredients again. "I'll need their blood samples and measurements, then I can go from there" She answered steadily. She left out the one thing she needed the most. Fitz. The woman sniffed at her. "That can be arranged". Raina left, locking the door, leaving her feeling sick to her stomach.

She turned back to the microcamera she had hidden near the main laptop. She sighed. That had been way too close for her liking. She hoped Skye was up to her bad-girl shenanigans, hopefully tracing the camera to her location. She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to be. The doors clicked open again. She sighed. Couldn't they give her any peace?

"What is it now?" She asked, exasperated. The two soldiers looked at her warily. Ryan looked as if he was a little kid caught red-handed with his hand in the biscuit tin. The other soldier however, had his hand on his weapon. Jemma grimaced. "You need samples and measurements. Raina sent us in" The other soldier stated. He was dark-haired, tall fellow, one you wouldn't want to come across in a dark alley.

"Ah! Yes well, I'll need your measurements first, then we can get some blood samples then I can start testing and-" Jemma broke off, realizing that the soldiers weren't overtly interested in the serum-to-unit of blood ratio, or the how the neutralization of the Extremis affected the patients blood cell physiology.

She sighed. Somehow, the excitement of science just wasn't the same. She gestured to the machines. "Just stand over there, enter your name in, and stand absolutely still on the marked pads for you". She waved them on, turning her back on them.

She tapped the sensors and the machines whirred to life. The 3-D models of their bodies came onto the screen as the sensors scanned them. She identified both soldiers, naming the left Ryan (or at least she was positive it was Ryan). "What's your name?" she called out to the scarier soldier, not daring to make eye contact. "James" he said gruffly. She bit her lip. With all that gruffness, he could be Ward. She felt a pang in her chest.

Raina had promised that she would be let go as soon as the serum had been administered, but Jemma didn't trust Raina. Call it intuition, or plain common sense, but she had a nagging feeling that Raina for all her sweet talk, wouldn't let her go that easily.

* * *

James rolled his eyes as the scientist took Ryan's arm into her hands. The idiot was blushing like crazy, but she didn't seem to notice as she stuck a particularly long-looking needle into his arm. He was like a big puppy. He even had the puppy-look about his eyes as her looked at her, fully of probably gooey thoughts that in all honesty, made James want to hurl. He knew Ryan wasn't the sharpest tack in the box, but seriously, having a crush on a scientist who worked for Big Brother, a.k.a S.H.I.E.L.D, was by far the stupidest thing that Ryan had done on the long list of stupid things Ryan had done. He intended to have a talk with him about that later. When the woman wasn't around. Either of them.

She smiled nervously at Ryan, and he had to hold back another eye roll. Couldn't he see the woman was practically seducing him? Ryan asked a question, and the scientist answered him. He ran his hand through his hair sheepishly then said good-bye, leaving James alone with her.

He leveled a heavy glare in her direction, and she visibly tensed. She was afraid of him. Good. She should be. He could crush her with his bare hands, if he wanted to.

She smiled tightly at him. "Just sit down in the seat there, and I'll be there in a moment" She said curtly. He rethought his earlier decision to glare at her as she attached a rather lethal looking needle to the blood-drawing device. "Well let's get this over with, shall we?" she asked as she reached for his arm. Now it was his turn to stiffen. The needle looked even bigger up close. He tried to suppress the childhood memories of needles, often with his mother and father having to restrain him as the doctor would inject the needle into his arm. But to no avail. Does the needle have to be that big? She looked at him, straight in the eyes curiously. Shit. He had said it aloud.

"Sorry! But it does need to be that long in order to penetrate all the layers of your skin to get to the blood vessel. You're right when you noticed that the needle is larger than a normal needle, but when you were injected with Extremis which naturally makes your skin more resistant to- Sorry for rambling. You probably don't really care much do you?" Her face which had been so animated when she talked about science, fell as she apologized. But he had seen the light in her eyes when she talked about the process. He suddenly felt strangely guilty for glaring at her. She was probably just lonely.

And he had to admit that it was interesting, even though he didn't really understand everything she said. He held out his arm. "Keep talking" he ordered, focusing on her face.


End file.
